Correction appended
Jack Cassell, an AU alumnus and member of the Board of Trustees, is the son of Stafford H. “Pop” Cassell Sr., also an AU alumnus, who served as coach, athletic director and vice president of the University after graduating from his alma mater. As a result of his father’s involvement with the University, Jack spent his childhood at AU and says he considers it to be home.
_Jack Cassell and his family donated $3 million in gifts to support the construction of the Cassell Hall residence hall, as previously reported by The Eagle. _
SG: Your father, Stafford Cassell Sr., is an AU alum; did your mother attend AU as well?
JC: Yeah, they met at AU. She was studying to be a nurse and was taking a few courses at AU, but she did not graduate from the school. I don’t think they had a full nursing program at the time.
SG: How did you become a member of the Board of Trustees?
JC: I was asked by Dr. Ladner [AU president from 1994-2005]…it was one of the greatest honors of my life.
SG: What are your professional endeavors outside of the board of trustees?
JC: I own and run a company called Visual Aids Electronics (VAE). We have 80 offices in 25 states. We provide the Audio Visual services for a lot of big events. We have gotten to work with the State Department…I’m not usually at the events, but my employees have gotten to meet a lot of important people as a part of their job. (Laughs) But I got to meet Bill Clinton!
SG: Did you always know you wanted to work in the audiovisual field?
JC: No, I never saw myself as an audio-visual guy…I thought I would do something more glamorous. When I was in school I actually wanted to be a photographer.
SG: Do you still do photography?
JC: No. I was really into it in high school; I even had a few pictures published in The Eagle while I was in high school. (Laughs) But I’m terrible at it now, I try to take a picture with an iPhone and it turns out crooked…I’ve lost all my game.
SG: What inspired you to become a part of the Cassell Hall project?
JC: I want people to know that I didn’t make this contribution only because my kids attend the school… I believe in the direction of AU and the quality of their students. This seemed like the perfect way to contribute to the direction that Dr. Kerwin is taking the school and his efforts to grow the University’s presence.
SG: Did you live on campus all four years?
JC: I moved into my fraternity’s house my senior year (Phi Sigma Kappa), but that was when we still had houses on campus. I can’t imagine having to move off campus like some of the students do now.
SG: What activities were you involved in when you were a student at AU?
JC: I was varsity goalie on the soccer team and president of my fraternity, Phi Sigma Kappa.
SG: It seems like there is a lot of history with sports in your family, is it something that is very important to you?
JC: When my kids were growing up I didn’t push anyone into anything. If they had natural talent, I encouraged them, but I just wanted them to do what made them happy. But I do think that athletics has a lot of value. I believe there is a lot of camaraderie and sportsmanship taught in athletics that is a great complement to skills learned through academics.
SG: Who inspired you academically when you were at AU?
JC: Ron Sutton, he was a professor in the School of Communications. I try to mention him every time I can. He is a special guy and was very instrumental in the academic side of my time at AU.
SG: Where was your favorite place to study?
JC: The library. I spent most of my time studying there. It was different then, books were number one. We didn’t have all the electronics to be able to study as easily in our dorms.
sgaber@theeagleonline.com
Correction: The photo caption incorrectly identified Jack Cassell and his brother. It has been corrected.
